It’s a happy day when we discover a new food. We discovered celtuce [photo #1] in our local Chinatown.

There are a number of fruits and vegetables in Chinese cuisine that are unfamiliar to non-Chinese Americans. They move slowly into the hands of mainstream American chefs, and then trickle down to home cooks.

One of these is celtuce (sell-TOOSE): not new, but new to us.

Celtuce, Latuca sativa, is a member of the same genus and species as bibb, iceberg, romaine and the other lettuces. It is also known as stem lettuce, Chinese lettuce, asparagus lettuce and celery lettuce. The Cantonese name is wosun.

(Here’s the history of lettuce and the different types of lettuce.)

The sword-shaped leaves look like they’re related to romaine; the stems are pale and long but thick, like broccoli. As you can see in photo #1, celtuce stems have horizontal ribs, which remind us of bamboo.

The name is a portmanteau of celery and lettuce,” and—surprise!—it tastes like a blend of both, crisp, delicate, and mild.

The flavor is mild with notes of nuttiness to it. Some people find a smoky aftertaste.

The stems have the crunch of celery; when eaten raw they will appeal to fans of jicama and water chestnuts. They retain their crispness when cooked.

Chefs love celtuce. Chef April Bloomfield thinks celtuce a most underrated vegetable, describing it as “slightly nutty and totally amazing.” [source]

For a new taste treat, seek it out.

In Asia, the lettuce is grown primarily for its stem; so if you purchase it in an Asian market, the leaves may have been cut off. Buy it for starters, but if you like bitter greens, persist in seeking stems with their leaves.

And as many vegetables and fruits have different flavors depending on subspecies and soil, some raw stems can be very bitter; i.e., not good for eating raw.

Some varieties don’t have a thick head like romaine, but more of top leaves like a plumed bird or Sideshow Bob.

Nutritionally, celtuce is largely water (like celery and lettuce, but with:

 
 
HOW TO USE CELTUCE

Celtuce is as easy to prepare as broccoli.

Both the leaves and the stem can be served raw or as a cooked vegetable. Like some broccoli, the stem’s outer skin can be tough, and should be peeled.

Then, start with this lista:

 
 
CELTUCE RECIPES

 
Modern Farmer recommends looking beyond Asian flavor: “…it plays very nicely with Mediterranean flavors like walnuts, lemon, and olive oil.”

Don’t forget the tomatoes, onions and fresh herbs [photo #2].

[1] Celtuce, from southern China (photo courtesy Epicurious).

[2] Celtuce in a salad, with cherry tomatoes and scallions (photo courtesy Sid Wainer).

[3] Bacon and shiitake mushrooms are cooked with stem-lettuce leaves in a simple stir-fry from Lillian Chou, in Saveur magazine. Here’s the recipe.

[4] Stir-fried celtuce stems with garlic, ginger and Sichuan peppercorns. Here’s the recipe from China Sichuan Food.

[2] The whole tail, ready to be sliced (photo © Andrew Grygus, The Clove Garden).

[3] Oxtail ragu, a popular preparation (recipe and photo from Sara Kate Gillingham | The Kitchn). The cooked meat is removed from the bone.

[4] Oxtail stew, meat on the bone. Here’s the recipe for the classic Roman oxtail stew, Coda Alla Vaccinara, from Saveur.

In earlier times, when oxen did the heavy pulling of carts and plows, oxen who could no longer “pull their weight” became meat.

In times when every scrap of food was precious*, every part of an animal (and vegetable) was used, from the head to the tail to to the hooves.

Today, you can still buy oxtail (also spelled ox tail and ox-tail [photo #1]). It’s the tail of a cow or steer [photo #2].

Once considered food for poor people who couldn’t afford better cuts, chefs and home cooks alike have discovered the charms of oxtail. The price, accordingly, is no longer rock-bottom.
 
 
OXTAIL IN YOUR KITCHEN

The tail typically weighs 2 to 4 pounds. It is cut into short lengths, ideally 2-1/2 inches, by the butcher [photos #1 and #2]; although you can buy the entire tail and slice it yourself.

The pieces are bony, fatty and gelatinous, the latter of which gives body to soups and stews. Each section includes some of the tailbone and its marrow, with meat and fat surrounding the tail.

Oxtail is a tough cut that needs to be slow-cooked, typically in a stew, braise or soup. (Tip: Use a pressure cooker.)

“Persevere,” says one butcher, “and you’ll be rewarded with one of the most tender bits of the cattle, with an intensely rich flavor.”

Some recipes like stew serve the oxtail “on the bone” [photo #4]; others, like a ragu, specify that the meat be removed from the bones [photo #3].

But it’s not just tasty dishes: Beef stock and beef bouillon cubes are often made from oxtail.
 
 
WHAT IS AN OX

An ox is a bovine that is trained for draft work: pulling carts, wagons, plows, etc.

Oxen can be either cows (female) or castrated bulls (steer); the latter were preferred for their greater strength. The males were castrated to make them gentler and thus easier to handle.

Thus, there is no specific breed called “ox.”

In Biblical times, ox was a term used for any domesticated bovine, regardless of age, gender, breed, type, or draft purpose [source].

Today’s description of bovines is much more complex. See how many terms you know.

Oxen were the principal beasts of burden for millennia, and still are in less developed areas of the world.

When oxen could no longer do their work and were slaughtered for food, it was discovered that the [castrated] males had a better flavor. That’s why steer are today’s source of quality beef.

The term “oxtail” has retained its heritage, and to some of us sounds more exotic and appetizing than “cowtail” or “steertail.”
 
 
OXTAIL RECIPES

Recipes abound online. Here are two to start you off:

 
________________

*And in many parts of the world, it still is.

It’s February 23rd, National Banana Bread Day, and there’s only one thing for us to do: Bake a loaf, with lots of chocolate chunks.

We prefer making ours with overripe bananas [photo #3]: brown peel = more pronounced flavor. Our friend Beth swears by using frozen bananas (we haven’t tried that yet).

The recipe is below, after the history of banana bread.

May 15th is National Bread Pudding Day.
 
 
BANANA BREAD IS A QUICK BREAD

A quick bread. also spelled quickbread, a is bread made with a chemical leavening agent (baking powder or baking soda—the difference).

The name refers to the fact that since the bread is made without yeast, it doesn’t need time to rise before baking.

Since the “quick” chemical leaveners activate as soon as they are moistened, no kneading or rising is required.

Biscuits, cornbread, muffins, popovers, soda breads, and sweet breads such as banana bread fall into the quick bread category.

So do zucchini bread, carrot cake, other nut and fruit loaves, coffee cakes made without yeast, pancakes, and waffles. It’s the chemistry of the preparation, not the sweetness, that defines the category.

Is carrot cake a quick bread? If you make it in a loaf, yes. If you make it as a layer cake, it’s a cake (it’s the same with banana bread and banana cake).

Why ask why? Well…in the 19th century, the descriptive language was looser. Often, the terms cake and pie were used interchangeably.

That’s why Boston Cream Pie is a cake, and cheesecake is a pie.

But feel free to call a loaf of carrot cake by its proper quick bread name, carrot bread.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF BANANA BREAD

Thanks to PJ Hamel of King Arthur Flour for her research.

[2] An excellent ripeness for banana bread (photo © Dole).

The U.S. supply of bananas comes from Central America. There weren’t many bananas in the U.S. until the turn of the 20th century.

The fruit ripened and rotted too quickly to travel far by ship. If it was found anywhere, it was in parts of the country closest to Central America.

The advent of refrigerated transport at the turn of the 20th century was a boon for lots of perishables. Bananas arrived in cities nationwide and quickly became a breakfast staple.

At the time bananas were also used in desserts, but often just as a garnish atop cake or pudding.

In the 1930s, two events converged that placed a new focus on the banana.

 
As P.J. Hamel researched recipes, she discovered what banana bread recipes over the decades have in common: bananas, sweetener, chemical leavening, fat, and flour.

Beyond that they can differ wildly, reflecting trends of their decades: everything from a sprinkle of sesame seeds or a dollop of apricot jam, crushed pineapple, wheat bran, or grated orange peel (not to mention nuts). Here is more of her research.

Our favorite addition, chocolate chunks, came later. Here’s our banana bread-chocolate chunk recipe, which includes a cup of chocolate chunks or chips.

For a twist, mix both dark and white chocolate chunks/chips.
 

[3] Very ripe bananas are great for baking (photo © Zaccrain | Morguefile).

[4] Even if your bananas are this dark or darker, get ready to bake! If you have any concerns, just give the peeled banana a sniff. Don’t pay attention to the mushiness: Everything gets mushed in the batter (photo © Delicious Adventures, which offers these 5 tips for overripe bananas).

RECIPE: KING ARTHUR FLOUR BANANA BREAD RECIPE

Thanks to King Arthur Flour for this banana bread recipe [photo #1], which uses honey plus apricot jam or orange marmalade.

Prep time is 20 minutes, bake time is 1 hour 10 minutes.

Ingredients For 1 Loaf (18 Slices)

 
Preparation

5. REMOVE the bread from the oven; a long toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center should come out clean, with at most a few wet crumbs clinging to it. The tester shouldn’t show any sign of uncooked batter. If it does, bake the bread for an additional 5 minutes, or until it tests done.

6. ALLOW the bread to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Remove it from the pan, and cool it completely on a rack.
 
 
TIPS

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.